The activities focusing on children and youth constitute a significant element of the DRC programme in CAR.
Up to 75% of school children are currently not attending school in the northern part of the country. Many teachers are unqualified parents acting as substitute teachers, and only 32% of the pupils complete their primary education. The establishment of educational opportunities and employment and recreational activities is therefore a crucial part of the DRC programme. The activities provide children and youth with an alternative to joining the rebel groups, something which constitutes a severe problem in CAR: In the northern parts of the country, more than 1000 children under 18 are associated with an armed group.
DRC particularly focuses on the reintegration of children who have in any way been involved with armed groups or affected by their presence in the communities. This includes recruitment, disruption of education and abuse of children. By creating an enabling environment that encourages a recovery and reintegration process, these interventions are directly targeting ex-child soldiers.
DRC puts emphasis on the prevention of recruitment and the release and reintegration of children. To this end, DRC partners with other organizations such as the International Rescue Committee, Comité d’aide médicale and the International Medical Corps-UK. In cooperation with local communities, DRC supports the release and reintegration of hundreds of children associated with armed groups in the northern areas. The project focusing on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of children is the first of its kind in CAR. In 2008, DRC partnered with UNICEF in order to work with the removal and rehabilitation of around 400 child soldiers in the Ouham-Pendé province.
Recently, a Transit centre, which receives ex-child soldiers after their removal from rebel groups, was established. The centre takes care of all psycho-social, medical and educational aspects of the lives of the children, as well as the identification of the children’s families. Moreover, the centre creates, together with the children, individual plans for their future, their needs in terms of counselling and mediation, and the goals to be achieved once the child has left the centre.
DRC also works to prove the plight of conflict-affected children and youth in general. A youth centre has been established in order to shift the focus of youth from conflict related activities to sports and recreational activities. Moreover, DRC supports the reconstruction of schools and organises fast-track education for children who have missed school due to conflict or displacement. DRC also conducts trainings in local communities and of local authorities to improve the understanding of children’s rights and create a protective environment for children.
